Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Jarring

Our first market is looming - this Saturday we will be at the Shrewton Country Market, along with a lot of lovely people selling all kinds of goodies.

Jo and I will be selling preserves and chutneys, baked goods, and home-made sweets. I have discovered a knack for making addictive coconut ice, and have had to hide what's already been made for fear of it being "tested" till there's none left to sell.

The last couple of weeks have been a series of experiments with cooking, and making sure that the jars and bottles of preserves already prepared look as nice as possible.

I finally mastered the label printing skill, and now everything is labelled with smart green and blue striped labels, ingredients listed, relevant information stated where necessary. it's exciting to see the transition from "home-made" to "ready to sell", and I am rather proud of what has been done already.

Look:

The Chinese Style Plum Sauce is one of the most popular sauces we make. It goes with meat, cheese, pasta, chicken, pretty much anything I have tried it with so far. A spoonful stirred into a pork casserole is fantastic. And of course it works brilliantly with duck!

The redcurrant jelly is a gorgeous, deep crimson colour. I think it might be my favourite to look at.

It's a proper kitchen table business And this is my kitchen table, to prove it.

I only made a couple of jars of the blueberry jelly - 10 boxes of blueberries only made a pint of juice! Not sure I'd do it again, but it is very nice.

I like how the picture of the only one with alcohol in it has turned out blurry.

This is a delicious, albeit HOT chilli jelly, packed with teeny little flecks of chillies, and the occasional seed. It's just not possible to catch them all, or so I am finding to date. It works brilliantly with cold meats and cheese.

The mango chutney was a bit of an experiment, but has worked like a charm and is really tasty. Sweet, spicy and flavoursome.

This was another experiment. It's an uncooked chutney and will only keep for about 12 months, but is ready to eat within a week or so of being prepared. It's incredibly sharp, tangy and sour, with enough spice in it to make you blink. The first time I tried it I decided I really didn't like it, but would just have another bit to make sure. And then another bit. And another.

It's perfect with a rich curry as it cuts through any fattiness. We've enjoyed it with lamb and pork in particular.

The last picture there is of the "Traffic Light Chilli Dipping Sauce", so called because it has red, yellow and green chillies in it. Yes, I know. Hilarious, no? It's sweet and hot, perfect with a spring roll or some prawns.

If you come along to the market, we will see you there. You might even get to try the addictive coconut ice.